


Clean up

by TiffanyF



Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:56:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SPOILERS FOR SEASON SEVEN EPISODE CHIP/TUCK AND POSSIBLY THE REST OF THE SEASON.<br/>Horatio takes matters into his own hands, against the wishes of the department, and settles a score in the process. OOC and darkish Horatio. I don't own these guys and don't make any money from this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eric didn’t know what he was going to find when he got home. Word had spread through the lab like a fire through dry timber when Rick Stetler was seen with Ron Saris. He shut the door as quietly as he could and listened for any sound that might tell him where his lover was. The only thing Eric was sure of was that Horatio would have a plan.

He found Horatio in the library wearing gloves and cleaning a sniper rifle he’d brought back from Brazil. A gun that was untraceable in Miami. “Horatio?”

“Just in case, Eric,” Horatio replied. “Did you close your case?”

“Yeah and I kinda feel bad for the suspect,” Eric sighed. He sat down next to Horatio so their knees were touching. “She fell in love with a lie and was about to kill herself when the victim called her by his late wife’s name and she snapped. She’s more worried about her son that what’s going to happen to her.”

“We can keep an eye on him,” Horatio said. He put down the scope and sighed. “Eric, if anyone finds out what I’m planning I will lose everything and you could get in a lot of trouble.”

Eric leaned over and put a finger over Horatio’s lips. “You and me, Horatio,” he said softly. “You and me no matter what.”

“I shouldn’t ask this of you,” Horatio said. “Thank you, Eric.”

“When?”

“This weekend,” Horatio said. “He hurt Julia, Eric. What’s to stop him coming after Kyle?”

“Speaking of, he’ll be home soon,” Eric said. “We don’t need him to see all of this.”

“You’re right; he doesn’t need to know the truth about his father.” Horatio started to put the gun away. “Tara told me how much Kyle has improved while working with her. I think we might have a future M.E. in the family.”

They both paused when the door slammed. “I’m home,” Kyle called.

“I’ll finish in here,” Eric whispered.

“Thank you.” Horatio handed him the gloves and kissed his lover softly. He stepped out into the hall and started towards Kyle’s room. “Dr. Price told me that she’s impressed, Kyle.”

“Hey Dad, yeah; I was able to identify part of a femur today because of all the extra studying I’ve been doing,” Kyle smiled. “It was really gross how that guy went into that chipper though. Dr. Price was so cool about it all, like she’d seen something like it before.”

“From what I hear you were very professional as well,” Horatio smiled. It faded with the next sentence. “Kyle, someone attacked your mother today. She’s shaken, but is fine otherwise.”

“What?” Kyle exclaimed.

“We didn’t find anything at the scene, son, but I’m not going to give up,” Horatio said. “I’ve got an officer posted with Julia until I find out who it was.”

“Can I go see her?”

“In the morning, she’s sedated for now. I’ll drop you at the hospital on my way to work, how does that sound?”

“Okay, I guess,” Kyle said. “Hey Eric.”

Eric wrapped his arms around Horatio, thankful as always that Kyle accepted him so easily. “I think we need to go out for supper tonight, H,” he said. “We all had a hard day and we need to celebrate Kyle’s growing knowledge of anatomy.”

“So we do,” Horatio agreed with another smile. “How about it, Kyle? Do you want to pick the restaurant?”

The glitter came back to Kyle’s eyes, although all the worry hadn’t left completely. “Sweet!”  
********************

Horatio took extra time to make sure the house was secure before he made his way to join Eric in their bed. It wasn’t the first time Horatio had killed to protect his family, but it always made him feel dirty and sick to his stomach. He climbed into the bed and settled up against Eric’s back holding his younger lover close. Eric laced their fingers together. “Let me know when,” he said softly, “and you’ll be with me the whole time.”

“You shouldn’t, Eric,” Horatio said just as softly. “You should be running as fast as you can in the other direction.”

“How can I run away from the man I love?” Eric asked. He rolled and propped his head up on his hand. “Or from the family we created here? I know I’d kill to protect you and Kyle and I know you’ll do the same for both of us.”

“Stetler is going to be a problem,” Horatio sighed. “Confidential informants get killed all the time and I can make it look like a hit, but I know Stetler will suspect something.”

“The idiot doesn’t know he’s being played, does he?”

“Not a clue, but then again, that’s a fairly normal description of Rick Stetler,” Horatio replied. “I know Saris only showed up at the department to make me angry, but I really do wonder what his game is.”

“If it’s going to hurt our family then I really don’t want to find out,” Eric said. “You’re making the right choice, H; I know you are.”

“I have to keep you both safe, Eric,” Horatio said. “I have to know that nothing is going to happen to you, Kyle, Calleigh or Ryan. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that happens.”

“And I’ll do everything I can to help.”  
********************

Stetler was livid. He was pacing back and forth in front of the warehouse when Horatio and his team arrived.

“Good morning, Rick,” Horatio said as his team continued on into the crime scene. “I’m a little surprised to see you out so early on a Monday. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know how you did it, but I know you did,” Stetler snapped. “I gave you an order that Ron Saris was to be left alone.”

Horatio blinked and stepped back so he was facing the warehouse. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rick,” he said. “Are you telling me that Ron Saris is one of our victims?”

“Don’t play dumb, Horatio, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Rick, I’m sorry, but this is the first I’ve heard about it,” Horatio said. “I spent the weekend at home with my lover and, apart from driving my son to the hospital to see his mother and work Saturday morning, I didn’t leave the house.”

“I’ll talk with Delko later,” Stetler said. “But I wouldn’t put it past him to lie to protect you. And I notice your son is nicely absent too.”

“Kyle spent the weekend with his mother, helping however he could. Julia almost died on Friday, Rick, and Kyle was worried about her. Now, if that’s all, I really should join my team.”

“I’ll get you yet, Caine,” Stetler snarled and stormed off.

Horatio shook his head with a sigh. There were days he really wondered how sane Rick Stetler was, and how much damage he could actually do to the department.  
********************

Ron Saris had been killed while setting up a double sting. He’d been working to set up a drug buy for an undercover agent while, at the same time, dropping enough hints that the sellers could work out their buyer was a cop. Horatio had killed the whole group with single shots through the head from a hidden location, being very careful to clean up after himself. The drug runners’ friends would think it was a rival gang and take out a few of them in retaliation – and Tripp would be on hand to clean up whoever was left. It was something Horatio liked about Frank Tripp; the man didn’t question tips Horatio received.

“This looks like a Mala Noche round,” Calleigh commented when Horatio stopped by ballistics. “Are they coming back into the city?”

“We’ll stop them if they are,” Horatio replied. “They earned a permanent spot on our kill or run out of town list. What else did you find?”

“The gun is new, or at least new enough not to be in the system,” Calleigh said. “I’d say this was a professional hit. From the looks of the crime scene a lot of drugs went missing, so I’m thinking one gang hit another and Saris was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Horatio sighed. “I hope you can convince Stetler, Calleigh, because he’s convinced I had something to do with it.”

“You? Oh, come on,” Calleigh said. “I know you hated the guy, but you wouldn’t kill him in cold blood. We’re looking for a professional hit man and I’d be surprised if the gun wasn’t in pieces in the ocean by now.”

Actually it was in pieces in the Glades, but Horatio wasn’t about to tell Calleigh that. And the drugs were in the ocean; Eric had helped Horatio empty them out and then burn the bags they’d been stored in.

“I’ll ask Mr. Wolfe to look into possible enemies Ron could’ve had who could afford the services of a professional,” Horatio said. “Thank you, Calleigh.”  
********************

Eric wasn’t surprised when Stetler called him into one of the interview rooms. There were days he wondered exactly how smart it was for him and Horatio to be open about their relationship, but Eric was glad he could help cover for his red head.

“This is just a formality as I’m sure you’d lie to protect Horatio,” Stetler said with a small sigh, “but was Horatio with you all weekend?”

“No, he took Kyle to the hospital on Saturday morning and was here until about one,” Eric replied. “But yeah, we were together the rest of the time.”

“Doing what?”

“Cleaning house, swimming, reading; the usual stuff you do when you don’t have to work,” Eric said.

“And there’s no chance he could’ve left and you didn’t notice?”

“Of course not,” Eric sighed. “Look, Stetler, do you really believe Horatio Caine would be able to murder someone?”

“He threatened Ron Saris in front of me.”

“That still doesn’t mean he killed him,” Eric said. “Calleigh says that she thinks this might have been a Mala Noche hit. Your guy could’ve just been in the wrong place. It sucks, but the evidence is pointing at a pro right now, which means we probably won’t ever catch them.”

Horatio tapped on the door and opened it. “Rick, if you’re done with my CSI, I need him for a crime scene, please.”

“We’re done,” Stetler said. “I’m watching you, Horatio.”

“I would expect no less, Rick,” Horatio replied as he slipped on his sunglasses. “I would expect no less.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re right that Stetler is going to make trouble,” Eric commented as he joined his lover in their bed that night. “But I don’t think that we can do anything about it.”

“Just ignore him and his rantings,” Horatio said. He rolled over and pulled Eric in against him, easily settling into their normal sleeping position of him curled around Eric. “With Calleigh’s report and the evidence, it’s being logged as a gang related hit and our informant was in the wrong place. The brass told me that they wished we had recovered some of the drugs that were present before they were able to be put on the street, but I guess we can’t have everything, can we?”

“And you couldn’t exactly tell them that we poured the drugs out in the ocean.”

“True,” Horatio smiled. He felt Eric moving and shifted back so his young lover could settle on his back, looking up at Horatio. “Thank you for standing by me, Eric.”

“I wouldn’t do anything else, Horatio,” Eric said. He reached up and pulled his lover down for a kiss. “No one is ever going to take away what we’ve built here; not my father, not Stetler, not anyone. We’re in this together forever.”

“You and me, Eric,” Horatio said with another kiss. “You and me.”


End file.
